Tag Archives: Father’s Day

It’s turning out to be one of my favorite days of the year… Father’s Day!

Celebrating Fatherhood! One of the most important titles I will ever bear in my lifetime, the title of Dad. It’s awesome! I am so thankful that I have gotten to spend all the time that I have with Malachy. I know so many fathers don’t have that luxury or haven’t had that opportunity. Even my own dad, growing up, he had to work 12-hour+ days, and we only really got to see him once a week. The one day he would have at home, he usually had to take care of things around the house. I remember my mom constantly asking me to help my dad, but I didn’t really know how. Perhaps, he also didn’t have a whole lot of time to teach me, so I learned by watching him. He taught me a lot, not so much through words but his actions.

With Malachy, I’ve had the benefit of speaking with him, modeling for him, and just being present and being a Dad. It’s been one of the greatest joys I could ever ask for, along with spending time with Shien and with family. I want to show him that he could do whatever he puts his mind to. He’s inspired me to do more than I have thought possible from myself. We are learning together…

Drum roll please… Introducing the new mesh polo shirt by Lands’ End! A winner will be announced on Father’s Day, June 19, 2011!

Flashback

When I showed my wife my awesome Lavender Ice polo shirt for review, she said, “Wow, you haven’t worn one of those in a LONG time!”

This shirt brought back memories. Once upon a time, before Malachy was born (almost five years ago), this city boy would go play golf with his buddies almost every single weekend. The game taught me a lot about life and myself. Patience. Enjoy the moment. Stop and think before you shoot. Look forward. Stay positive. I can’t wait to share these lessons and more with Malachy, when we hit the links one day… I’ll be saving this polo to wear on Father’s Day 2011. 🙂

During that decade or so of playing golf every weekend, I went through dozens and dozens of polo shirts made by various designers such as Polo, Ashworth, Greg Norman, Ping, Nike, Izod, and more. Whenever there was a big sale, I’d buy one or two or three or more, depending on how big the sale was. After several washings, many of these shirts just simply couldn’t handle the repeated washings. Some always felt stiff and never got soft, some got very wrinkly, some took forever to dry, some of the buttons on them would break in half or completely come off, and some of the collars on them would start curling.

My Review

Looking at this new 100% cotton mesh polo shirt, it looks like Lands’ End did their homework to find out what guys like me needed in a nice golf polo shirt. It doesn’t feel stiff; it’s strong yet soft. It has strong etched buttons that are cross-stitched, and a collar that didn’t curl after being put through the wash. It also wasn’t overly wrinkly coming out of the dryer. One thing this shirt has that none of my other golf shirts had is a “jersey-taped seam” on the neck and shoulder. The other thing that makes it really cool is a “half-moon knit yoke (that’s the heather blue part in the photo),” which really does “feel softer on your skin.” That’s especially important when wearing it in hot weather. The Lands’ End site provides even more details about the shirts. I had to ask my wife what kind of blue that was. 🙂 They have a great 100% satisfaction guarantee for their customers. Very cool!

The Giveaway!

Thanks to Dad Central Consulting and Lands’ End, one lucky reader of this post will win one of these polos shipped directly from Lands’ End! All you have to do is leave a comment below and say why you would like to win a Lands’ End polo. My son and I will choose the winner on Father’s Day, June 19th, using random.org. I will then e-mail the chosen winner to ask for their desired shirt size.

Deadline to enter a comment is 12PM (EST) on Father’s Day. Winner will be notified soon after that. Good luck, everyone! 🙂

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Dad Central Consulting on behalf of Lands’ End and received a polo shirt to facilitate my review, one to giveaway, and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Being a Dad is really special. Father’s Day definitely takes on new meaning when you become a father. On Friday, Malachy’s school had a Father’s Day Bagel Breakfast. Malachy was so excited. (Me. too! 😉 ) It was extra cool, because later that day, he had an early birthday celebration with a classmate, since he’s not going to be in school in July. We shared a bagel and a doughnut and some apple juice. He gave me a Father’s Day card that he made in school. 😉 Very cool.

On Father’s Day, Shien and Malachy made me a Bagel Breakfast (yes, I love bagels!), took me out to Brunch, took a trip to Queens to my sister’s new place where my dad was hanging out for a bit, and then let me watch the U.S. Open (even though it was kinda’ uneventful) at my brother-in-law’s, where we had dinner. Shien gave me a canvas print of a picture of me and Malachy that she took at the Chinese New Year parade. 😉

Later that evening, I saw that another blogger commented on my site, and it’s the first one I chose not to “publish.” He commented that he was vexed about people like me who put their kid on public display, as if he were a “trophy child.” He said, “The only thing you will accomplish is producing is an overindulged child with an exaggerated view of himself by the time he hits adolescence. He will think that everything he does is special and important and will then be rendered demoralized when the rest of the world doesn’t agree.” It could have really bothered me, but it didn’t, because I know that he doesn’t get it. 😉

It’s definitely not about showing off my son to the world; he’s not an object on display. It’s about a father who is so proud to be a dad and is in awe of being a parent. It’s truly a gift and a blessing. I feel that if I don’t take the time out to stop and think, then I’ll start taking being a Dad for granted.

As for Malachy becoming overindulged and having an exaggerated view of himself one day? No way. My mom and dad taught me humility, and Shien and I are doing our best to keep him “in check.” 😉